Callerton Parkway falls between the Airport and Bank Foot with no noticeable residential areas nearby so it’s hard to see why there’s any need for a station there at all. As such has one of the lowest passenger numbers. It does have parking though so can only assume that it’s used as a massive park and ride for Newcastle city centre or beyond.
Remember where we are though, this is Newcastle and no local housing estate doesn’t mean no local pub and a hop skip and jump away from the rather meager platforms of Callerton Parkway Station lies the Wheatsheaf.
We don’t actually live too far from the Wheatsheaf and often run past it on my Saturday morning run being distracted by the glorious smells of bacon sandwiches as I try not to have a cardiac arrest. This is the first time I’ve ever actually been in though and it was all a bit, well, meh.
It’s attached at a Premier Inn, which will explain it’s location so close to the airport yet without having to charge Double Tree prices. It’s a Fayre & Square chain pub with a Wacky Warehouse attached which probably tells you all you need to know. If you’re looking for a cosy country pub with open roaring fires I’d walk a mile down the road to the Twin Farms if I were you. If you have a brood of kids who need entertaining or somewhere cheap and cheerful for a bite to eat before your jollies then it’s not the worse place in the world to spend a few hours. Basically, a session pub, this isn’t.
If you’re a regular to the WBM series you’ll know there are two things that put me off a pub from the outset; plasma TVs and bandit game machines and the Wheatsheaf had an abundance of both. As well as the music playing (which wasn’t an unreasonable volume) you could also hear a Saturday evening episode of Pointless Celebrities in the background, which is beyond annoying, pick one or the other and stick with it!
Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t the worse pub I’ve ever been in. The staff were super friendly, they had Landlord ale on tap, a bottle of house Pinot Grigio was only a tenner. We got 4 pub meals (an 8oz steak, a pulled pork burrito and two fish & chips) for £31 which, aside from being a bit measly on the chip portions were all pretty well cooked and tasty.
We were there at about 6.30pm on a Saturday evening and it was pretty quiet. I think it’s probably one of those places that gets its atmosphere depending on who they have staying at the hotel. It has a large conservatory and beer garden out the back so I imagine in peak holiday season there’s a lot more atmosphere.
Rumour has it it’s due a makeover as it’s recently been bought by another chain so I’d be interested to see what changes are made. It’s fine for dinner or a couple of drinks if you’re passing but certainly not somewhere that will blow your socks off.
Contact:
The Wheatsheaf, Woolsington, Newcastle upon Tyne NE13 8DF
